My Influences: Part 1
When thinking about the topic for this week, I caught up on listening to my subscribed wrestling podcasts on my queue. One of them was an interview with Jake “The Snake” Roberts on the Steve Austin Show. Among the many incredible snippets of knowledge, Jake paced emphasis on the need to borrow aspects of your favorite wrestlers and make them your own. This is what Roberts said:
“A smart man knows where to steal good stuff, because there ain’t nothing new. And you can’t steal someone bit by bit, because that’ll never happen. But if you steal a little bit of this and a little bit of that, you can put it together.”
No matter if you’re a guy like John Cena or myself, each of us borrow traits of those who came before us. Whether it’s a move, a mannerism, or even a certain movement, no wrestler is immune to this method of borrowing (or stealing, as I prefer to call it).
This will be a two part blog. This week, I’m focusing my attention on my influences from when I was growing up. Naturally, this means those that were in the WWF, WCW, and ECW. Below, I’ll label my influences and why:
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin: Arguably the biggest star in the history of professional wrestling, Austin has influenced many wrestlers in proceeding generations. I am one of them. When I first caught glimpse of Steve Austin on an episode of WWF Superstars in 1998, I knew I wanted to do what he did. Stone Cold had the look, the attitude, and the charisma that made him a top attraction, and I wanted to have those skills to stomp mud-holes (and walk them dry!) on a nightly basis.
Austin is known to have a BMF walk (if you don’t know what that means, Google it!). I try and emulate that when I make my way to the ring. In addition, Austin’s selling is something I’ve always enjoyed, and try to think about when in a match. If you ever notice Austin in matches, he’s always “on the move,” never stopping. It’s an incredible amount of cardio to build up, but it makes the flow of the match much more interesting. Plus, he never stops fighting, and that’s the approach I always think of when I’m in the ring.
The last thing I’ll touch on Austin is his overall demeanor. When I think of how I cut a vicious promo, I try to place myself in the boots of Austin. Stone Cold was a pissed-off SOB, and wanted to let the world know about it. A promo is a means to express motivation, desire, and goals for the person speaking for an upcoming match, and each of those attributes should always be addressed no matter the circumstance. Austin always hit those bullet points with his regular catchphrases, and that’s what I try to do each time.
Arn Anderson: For those in the industry, Double A is one of the most respected workers of all time. Newer fans may know him as the guy in backstage pull-aparts, or the wrestler Daniel Tosh always talks about on Tosh.0. For me, Anderson is a person I watch when thinking of my role in the Iron Curtain with Gregory Iron in AIW and AAW. Anderson was the enforcer of the Four Horsemen, and so am I in the Curtain.
Anderson’s tag team matches with Ole Anderson and Tully Blanchard are some of my favorites to watch. There’s a psychology within those matches that I don’t see many tag teams doing today, which is a real shame (check them out on the WWE Network or YouTube to get a better idea). But individually, Double A is another guy that moves to make himself and his opponent look amazing. This is especially interesting, since AA is a guy that looks like a bar-room bruiser, but could be as agile and quick as smaller opponents (a trait I try to use as well). For myself, I’m a guy that doesn’t have a six pack, or have a clean shaven face. I’m a man that has a bit of chest hair, and not afraid to show it off. Why? Double A did, so can I!
The Ultimate Warrior: I will admit that Ultimate Warrior was a guy I really wasn’t a fan of until I got into the business. From what I remember as a kid, I thought he was cool, but didn’t paint my face or wore tassels around my arms like him. Hell, his backstage vignette in WCW where Hulk Hogan, the announcers, and the entire world could see him the mirror (sans Eric Bischoff) was a running joke within my group of friends. Yet, I do list Warrior as a huge influence because of my finisher. I do a running splash like Warrior, but have put my own spin on it (I stretch my body like a U and come down flat). For this very major reason, I consider Warrior to be an influence on my work.
Eddie Guerrero: “Latino Heat” was the man I felt personally connected to when he won the WWE Championship in 2004. I was about to graduate high school, and in the midst of planning on where to go to college, I wanted to seriously pursue my dream of being a wrestler. Guerrero had went through various personal demons, but went through a lot of hurdles to ultimately become the top guy. His death the following year shook me hard, as I couldn’t wait to meet him and tell him how much he inspired me personally and professionally.
When I watch Guerrero’s matches, the first thing I notice is how crisp his moves are. Even though he was extremely agile, everything he did looked perfect. Though I am not by any means a high flyer, I think of how I can make whatever I’m doing look crisp and effective. Something that guys like “Amazing” N8 Mattson and Tyson Dux (among others) have told me time and time again is “it’s not what you do, but how you do it that’s effective.” I live by that motto, and Guerrero made everything he did look incredible.
It must be stated that Guerrero had the rare ability to make take you on an emotional roller coaster in promos. He had a personable side that made you love him, and a despicable side that made you hate him. One of my favorite promos was one in which he didn’t utter a single word! In the midst of his feud with Rey Mysterio in 2005, he came out with the intent of addressing why he turned on Rey. All he did was stare, head upright in the ring for a few minutes. As he slowly put the microphone up, it seemed as if he was about to talk. But instead, he put it down, the crowd booing him the whole time. He slowly left, not saying a word, and having the crowd hate him by the time he cleared the ring. The promo is on YouTube, watch it. Guerrero made that happen because of his body posture and non-verbal cues. He’s one of the best ever, and I watch him regularly.
Rhyno: The “Man-Beast” is someone that I addressed two weeks ago in my blog as an effective locker room leader. I think it goes without saying that Rhyno is one of the most hard-working people in the business. He’s one of the very few individuals that you can see on WWE’s NXT and on the independents, and has incredible matches with anyone he wrestles against. When I first started watching ECW in 1999, Rhyno (with the I in his name), was one of the guys who stuck out to me. He wasn’t the tallest guy, but was built like his namesake, and had incredible intensity. Whether he Gored his opponent, a valet, or Paul Heyman, I wanted to see more of him by the time I tuned in to TNN the next Friday night.
As the years gone by, he became a fellow mentor and peer in the locker room. I watch how he becomes intense in his matches, and explodes with his movements. One of my main moves, a corner spear, is inspired and in tribute to the “War Machine.” For a long while, I used the spear as my finisher (which technically, the Gore is). But the way Rhyno does it is different from those who do the move; hence it’s called the Gore. And, like Guerrero, is likable when he’s a babyface, and be despicable when he’s a heel. He has the ability to be either effectively, and is an absolute workhorse no matter the circumstance.
There are many more I wanted to put in this article, but it simply would be too much. Many workers adopt and emulate things from their favorites and others along the way. But these five were the ones I wanted to tell in detail for you.
Next week, I will be doing part 2 on this topic, this time for those on the independent level who have influenced me. In the meanwhile, check me out this week at:
And CCW! (Poster Not Available)
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